Important stuff from tonight's episode of the Tyler Flowers Show, a 5-3 win over Texas

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This glasses crap has gone off the deep end.

Apparently quieting compiling monster stats on an unworldly hot streak wasn't enough for Flowers to fully launch the narrative of switching to glasses--FROM CONTACTS HE ALREADY WORE--unlocking some offensive monster, he had to go and beat the Texas Rangers all by himself. The Rangers are a pretty sad major league product these days, but still, one man. Flowers got a two-run third inning started with a one-out triple that bounced on the edge of the right field wall, slammed out a game-tying home run to lead off the fifth, threw out Jim Adduci trying to steal second to end the sixth, and poked the go-ahead two-run single in the bottom half of the inning, saving a scoring opportunity the Sox looked primed to blow after Gordon Beckham and Alejandro struck out.

Just the heartwarming story of the hometown team coming back from a 3-0 deficit, and doing it in the driving rain while the umpire crew held off on bringing out the tarp.

Box Score

  • He's not, like, actually better, right? Flowers is having success at the plate in droves, but it's not like he's implementing a drastically new approach. I poked fun at his swing on his triple off the wall, because it had the unmistakable drop of his shoulders and poking out of his butt that his old, unrefined power stroke used to have. It always looked like it would lead to tons of strikeouts--and it did--but when you see it employed these days it's because he really got into one. For Flowers, the poked single in the sixth might have been the most 'what the hell' moment. It was the type of outside the zone protection and contact he's supposed to be so bad at it's not worth trying, and yet he doinked a pitch six inches off the plate out in front of the outfield defense. I want to just chalk it up to the old adage of "he's just seeing the ball better right now," but that would just lead to more hysteria.
  • Less confusing, is the consistent greatness of Adam Eaton and Jose Abreu, who have both been getting on base at a clip over .400 since the start of last month. They combined to reach base six more times Monday despite only six innings of White Sox offense, and Eaton added his increasingly routine--because he's brilliant and because the pitching is bad--showstopping catch while on his horse at the wall in center field. Abreu legitimately missed and fouled off his pitch to hammer with the bases loaded in the third and has looked off finding his power stroke, but recovered for a two-run single because he's still covering absolutely everything at the moment.
  • Speaking of routine: Hector Noesi was roughed up early, got pounded on some fastballs in the zone, gave up a home run to the struggling Rougned Odor to fall behind 3-0, walked three batters, and recovered to sop up seven innings, which was effectively a complete game. Noesi is having a secretly important bad season. The results are forgettable, but innings pitched is always the most underrated statistic, especially with this bullpen.
  • The game was called after the top of the seventh after being a monsoon for pretty much the sixth inning on. Tyler Flowers now has delivered the game-winning RBI in two shadily rain-shortened games.

Team Record: 55-58

Next game is Monday at 7:10pm CT on CSN vs. Texas

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